The storm followed them as they left the Vault—lightning crawling across the sky like living veins, thunder that felt like it echoed within their bones.
Kael didn't speak for hours.
The staff remained in his hand, occasionally pulsing with energy—never violently, but watchfully, like it was waiting for something only it could sense.
They made camp near the edge of the Hollow Expanse, beneath a shattered rock arch that crackled with latent arcane charge. Lira set up a kinetic barrier while Sera kept watch with blades unsheathed.
Kael sat by himself, staring into the fire.
"You've changed," Sera finally said, breaking the silence.
"I remembered," he replied quietly.
"Everything?"
"Enough."
He looked at them both, eyes darker now, more focused, like the fog had cleared and what remained was something colder and sharper.
"There were seven of us," he said. "Back then. Seven Aspects of Creation. Each born from the collapse of the First Flame."
"You were one of them?" Lira asked, her voice soft.
Kael nodded. "The Balance. Not Order, not Chaos—the weight between them."
He stared into the flames, and they flickered blue in response.
"But we weren't alone. There were others… older things. Forgotten things."
The Forgotten Names
He began to speak the names—not aloud, but in whispers that made the air shiver.
"Azareth the Hollow-Born…
Vel Karuun, Eater of Realms…
Serithen, the Mirror of Lies…
Nyx Solari… Keeper of the Last Dusk…"
Each name felt like a blade sliding into the world.
"These aren't gods," Sera said, tension stiff in her voice. "They're predators."
"They're returning," Kael said.
He closed his hand around the staff. It responded, symbols pulsing brighter, almost in warning.
"The Choir might be our current threat, but they're only pawns. The real players are moving. And I can feel one of them watching already."
A Visitor in the Flames
As the fire cracked, it twitched.
Lira's eyes widened. "That's not normal fire behavior."
Before Kael could respond, the flames darkened turning violet. Then black. Then—
A face emerged in the fire.
Feminine. Beautiful. Empty.
Her eyes were voids. Her mouth did not move, yet her voice bled into their minds like poisoned honey.
"You've awakened, little Balance. How unfortunate."
Kael stood slowly, the staff humming in his grip. "Nyx."
"You remember me. That warms the abyss."
Sera gritted her teeth. "What do you want?"
"Nothing yet. I'm simply watching… waiting. When the threads unravel, and your precious mortal shell fractures again then I'll sing your true name. And you'll break."
The flames exploded outward.
The vision vanished.
Only the smell of ash remained.
The Coming Shift
The trio stood in silence.
Kael finally turned, eyes burning.
"We have to move. Now."
"Where?" Lira asked.
"To the Spire of Broken Skies," he said. "That's where the next Aspect sleeps… and if we don't find them first, Nyx will."